Aeroplane propeller



April 30, 1929, w K. DWELLE AEROPLANE PROPELLER Filed Oct. 17, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Filed Oct. 17.

1927 2 Sheets-Sheet Patented Apr. 30, 41929.

UNITED STATES WALTER K. DWELLE, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, A-SSIGNOR OF FORTY PER CENT TO JOHN y 1,711,047 PATENT OFFICE.

T. BEAVER, TWELVE AND ONE-HALF PER CENT TO JAMES LAWLOR, AND SEVEN AND ONE-HALF PER CENT TO C. C. CUNNINGHAM, ALL OF HOUSTON, TEXAS.

AEROPLANE PROPELLER.

Application. led October 17, 1927. Serial No. 226,713.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in an aeroplane, and has par- .ticular relation to a novel means of propelthe same.

lin

ne object of the invention is to provide, in

an aeroplane, a novel means for propelling,lr the aeroplane.

Another object of the -invention is to provide, in an aeroplane, spiralled propellers, enclosed, or housed in, so that they will not be liable to cause injury to the operator, or to bystanders, or to become broken, and to the further end that they will be practically noiseless and more efficient than propelling means for air craft now in common use.

A further feature of the invention is to provide, in an aeroplane, a propelling means which includes a surrounding.;r housing provided with chambers which are adapted to lcontain any suitable gas, which is lighter than air, and which will add buoyancy to the aeroplane.

With the above and other objects in view this invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrangement of parts an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein e Figure 1 shows a horizontal, longitudinal sectional view of the device.

Figure 2 shows a front elevation thereof.

Figure 3 shows a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 shows a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure l, and

Figure 5 shows a crosssectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Figure 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate similar parts in each of the figures the numeral 1 designates the fuselage, as a whole, which, if desired, may have double walls to provide a space 2 to containa light gas to make the aeroplane more buoyant. The nu-.

mera] 3 designates a motor, of conventional construction, mounted in the fuselage and having the forwardly extending propeller shaft 4, operatively connected therewith.

The outer, or forward, end of this shaft has a bearing in a spider 5 which is fixed in the forwardly flared forward Yend 6, of the proeller housing, which'is designated generally y the numeral 7 Fixed on the forward end Vent-uri shaped passageway 10 in, the orward end of which there 1s another spiralled vane 11, xed on the shaft 4. Y

There are the 'spaced partitions 12, 13,

spanning thehousing 7 and fixed to the walls Y thereof.

There are the four intermediate vanes, or propellers, 14, disposed around the propeller 11 and fixed on the lengthwise shafts 15, and enclosed, or housed, in the Venturi passageways 16; The forward ends of the shafts 15, have bearings, as 17, in the spiders 18, provided in the housing 7 and the rear ends of said shafts have bearings in the respective partitions 12, 13 and fixed on said shafts 15 between said partitions are the spur gears 19 which are in `mesh with, and driven by the master gear 20, which is located between the partitions 12, 13 and which is fixed on the forward end of the tubular shaft 21. This shaft 21 telescopes over the shaft 4 and runs in the end bearings 22, 23'the former of which is in the forward end of the fuselage and the latter of which is in the partition 13.

The rear, orpinner, end of the shaft 21 is formed with a cone clutch member 24 `and splined on the shaft 4 there is a cone clutch A member 25 said clutch members forming a clutch which is normally held engaged by the coil spring 26 which surrounds the shaft.

carried by the partitions 12, 13 ,are the inter-- mediate spur gears 30, which are in mesh with and driven bythe master gear 20, and which are also in mesh with and drive the spur gears 31 located between the partitions 12, 13 and fixed on the forward ends of the shafts 32. These shafts 32 have bearings in the forward end of the fuselage and in the partitions 12, 13 and have the spirallcd outer Vanes, or propellers 33 fixed thereon, and enclosed within the Venturi passageways 34 through the housings 35.

- .The passageways 10, and 34 have the ont- Ict openings 36, and 37 respectively into a. discharge passageway 38 through which the air from the propellers may he discharged t-hrough any suitable outlet passageway.

As the machine moves forwardly the air is drawn in through the housing 7 and is caught up successively by the vanes 8, 11, 14 and 23 successively and is finally discharged through the openings 36 and 37.

The entire housing 7 is' surrounded by .a forwardly converging hood 39, which is secured at its rear end to the forward end of the fuselage, and at its forward end to the forward end of the housing 7.

- On account of the irregular outside contour of the housing 7 there will be formed the chambers 40, between it and the hood 39, and likewise there will be formed the chambers 41 between the housings surrounding the propellers 11 and 14. and these chambers 40 and 41 may be filled with a suitable light gas to increase the buoyancy of the aeroplane.

The various Venturi tubes disclosed and the inde endent propellers working therein provi e a construction which will relieve the main propeller shaft of a portion of the entire load and it is believed that the Venturi form of the passageways in which the various propellers are located will assist in releiving `or discharging the air from the respective propellers after the propellers have acted on said air, that is, will assist in the quick discharge of the air backwardly.

While I have shown and'described only one form of the invention it is obvious that rnechanical changes may be made therein and equivalents substituted for the parts shown and I hereby reserve the right to make such mechanical changes and adaptations as may be found desirable so long as I do not depart from the principle of the invention as comprehended within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is Y 1. A housing carried by the forward end of an aeroplane fuselage and having a central air passageway therethrough, a plurality of side air passageways therethrough, vpropelling means 1n said respective side passageways and enclosed by said housing.

2. A-housing adapted to be carried by the forward end of a fuselage and having an air passageway therethrough, a plurality of propelling means in said passageway, and means for driving said propelling means.

3. A housingadaptedto be carried by the forward end of a fuselage of an aeroplane and having a central air passageway therethrough, a plurality of' side air passageways therethrough, propelling means in .said respect-ive side passageways and enclosed by said housing and means operatively connected with the propelling means and adapted to drive the same.

4. A housing adapted to he attached to the 'fuselage of an aeroplane having a fin-ufardly flared central air passageway therethrough of a propelling means enclosed by the housing and located in saidpassagcway, said propelling means comprising a drive shaft and a. spiralled vane fixed thereon.

5. A forwardly extending housing adapted to be carried by the front end of a fuselage, and having a central air passageway therethrough and a plurality of side air passageways, communicating with said central passageway, propellers enclosed by the housing and located in the respective side passageways.

6. A forwardly extending housi adapted to be carried by the front end of a uselage, and having a central air passageway therethrough and a plurality of side air passageways communicating with said central passageway, propellers enclosed by the housing and located in the respective passageway's, a driving shaft on which one of said propellers is fixed and operative connections forming driving means between said shaft and the other propellers.

7. -A forwardly extending housing adaptedto be carried by the front end of a fuselage, and having a central air passageway therethrough and a plurality of side air passageways communicating with said central passageway, propellers enclosed by the housing and located in the respective passageways, said passageways forming Venturi tubes.

8. A forwardly extending housing adapted to be carried by the front end of a fuselage, and having a central air passageway therethrough and a plurality of side air passageways communicating with said central passageway, propellers enclosed by the housing and located in the respective passageways, said propeilers being separately enclosed, said housing being provided with enclosed gas containing chambers.

9. A forwardly extending housing adapted to be carried by the front end of a fuselage,

and having a central air passageway therethrough and a plurality of side air passageways communicating with said central passageway, propellers enclosed bythe housing and located in the respective passageway".

a driving shaft on which one of the propellers is fixed, an independent driving shaft operatively connected with other of the propellers and means for clutchiner said shafts together and for disengaging them.

10. A propeller comprising a housin a propelling means enclosed by said housmg,

said housing having enclosed gas containing chambers.

11. A forwardly extending housing adapted to be carried by the front end of a fuselage,

` and having a Central air passageway therethrough and a plurality of side air passageways communicating with said central passageway, propellers inclosed by the housing and located in the respective passageways, a drivin" shaft on which one of said propollers is fixed, a tubular shaft fitted over said drivinrr shaft and operatively connected with said other propellers.

12. A forwardly extending housing adapted to be carried by the front end of a fuselage, and having a central air passageway therethrough and a plurality of side air passageways communicating with said central pas-y sageway, propeller-s inclosedby the housing and located in the respective passageways, a driving shaft on which one of said propellers is fixed, a tubular shaft fitted over said driving shaft and operatively -connected with said other Propellers, and a clutch through which' said shafts may be engaged and released.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

WALTER K.v DWELLE. 

